Over 1 million Americans undergo joint replacements every year. Most of these procedures are life-changing, helping the recipient to get back to activities of daily living and improve their quality of life. But the work of recovery does not end with rehabilitation. Many are left with decreased overall strength, range of motion, as well as some movement dysfunction that has the potential of further improvement.

This course is a comprehensive education for the fitness professional to be able to safely and effectively train total joint replacement recipients. The professional will be able to confidently discuss the anatomy, physiology, the neurology of post-medical joint replacements and how to work with both clients and medical professionals alike. Additionally, marketing and business instruction will help the student employ this education immediately to build a network of referrals and generate and maintain total joint replacement clients.

Course Objectives

• Understand why joints degenerate and may need replacement
• Understand who makes a good candidate for a joint replacement
• Understand common joint replacement technology
• Understand joint replacement rehabilitation prior to post-medical training
• Understand the role of the fitness specialist in post-medical training
• Understand basic neurology for movement
• Learn techniques and strategies to train clients who have undergone total joint replacement to improve their long-term outcomes

ABOUT THE COURSE AUTHORS

Dr. Grove Higgins is a chiropractor, rehabilitationist, soft tissue injury expert, researcher, biomechanist, human performance expert, speaker, and corporate health consultant. Since 1994, Dr. Higgins has been steeped in rehabilitative healthcare, first as a personal trainer/exercise therapist attaining his Doctor of Chiropractic in 2005.  Starting with hospital based acute care neurological rehabilitation, he quickly was able to apply his passional and learning to all areas of rehabilitation from orthopedic rehabilitation to working with military veterans with neurological injury and PTSD.

In 2009, Dr. Higgins started a non-profit, to which he wrote a curriculum to teach transitioning soldiers neurological and physical skills to augment performance and control their own pain. He assembled a large team of personal trainers to eventually work with over 3000 injured veterans in less than 3 years. Now in private practice, he works with professional/world class athletes to individuals with chronic long-standing issues that have failed to achieve results.

Neuroathlete was created to more broadly deliver neurologically based training to a global audience; to help individuals achieve their optimal performance and enjoyment of life through self-driven assessment and guided application of the same neurological drills and skills taught in his clinic.

Master Trainer Pat Marques attended Indiana University where he participated in wrestling, rugby, and Army ROTC. After graduating and being commissioned as an Infantry officer, Pat served in the Active Duty Army for 20 years in the Infantry and Special Forces, including combat tours in Iraq.

Upon retiring Pat decided to try and combine his two passions – soldiers and fitness. As Pat pursued his education and certifications in exercise science, he volunteered as a trainer at a Colorado Springs-based military non-profit, where he first met Dr. Higgins. He was able to work with soldiers through adaptive physical training, helping them deal with amputations, chronic pain, PTS, and traumatic brain injury.

Along with attaining his BS in Exercise Science, Pat has completed over 600 hours of neurological training, becoming a Z-Health Master Trainer. He currently provides exercise therapy, movement reeducation, and strength and conditioning for all levels of clients at NeuroAthlete, from chronic pain sufferers to Olympic-level athletes. Pat strives to bring cutting edge knowledge and techniques to empower his clients to reach their goals – getting out of pain, recovering from brain injury, improving fitness, and maximizing athletic performance.